An Interview with Pino
All Lit Up: Tell us about your collection.Pino Coluccio: Class Clown is an 80s teen movie in verse with a 40-something protagonist, but without the Hollywood ending.ALU: Do you have any steadfast writing rituals?PC: I don’t know if it’s a ritual per se, but I do most of my writing on my phone these days.ALU: If you wrote a memoir, what would it be called?PC: Stop Slapping My Face, Please: A Memoir by Pino ColuccioALU: What books are you currently reading?PC: I’m currently reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson.ALU: What’s the best piece of advice anyone has given you about writing, or life?PC: “Be light, but not merely light. Be serious, but not merely serious.” – Marcus Bales”Don’t be purple, don’t be maudlin.” – Alexandra Oliver”Rhyme different parts of speech, like a verb with a noun, a noun with an adjective.” – Alicia Stallings”I before e except after c.” – my brother AlbertALU: If you had one superpower, what would it be?PC: Time travel.ALU: What, outside of other books/writers, inspires your writing?PC: Rock music, darkly funny TV shows and movies (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Peep Show, I’m Alan Partridge), all things Italy and Italian.
The Poems
“At A Wedding” No drivel-dravel bound for the remainder bin I hope,but a total, bracing classic all the centuries won’t solve.I hope your love is facing pages finishing a self. “Class Clown”They’d be all like, never say never
in classes we had, but whatever.
I turned to the windows and hallways
that always said always say always.
– From Class Clown, Biblioasis, 2017
